April Conference Notebook

“What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken; … whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same” (D&C 1:38).

As you review the April 2012 general conference, you can use these pages (and Conference Notebooks in future issues) to help you study and apply the recent teachings of the living prophets and apostles and other Church leaders.

Prophetic Promise

“As we leave this conference, I invoke the blessings of heaven upon each of you. … May you ponder the truths you have heard, and may they help you become even better than you were when conference began.”

President Thomas S. Monson, “As We Close This Conference,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2012, 116.

Snapshot of the Church

Membership (as of 2011)

14,441,346

Stakes and Districts

3,554

Wards and Branches

28,784

Missions

340

Full-Time Missionaries

55,410

Church-Service Missionaries

22,299

Converts Baptized

281,312

Temples in Operation

136

Stories from Conference

The Power of the Priesthood

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During World War II, in the early part of 1944, an experience involving the priesthood took place [and] was related by a correspondent—not a member of the Church—who worked for a newspaper in Hawaii. … He and other correspondents were in the second wave behind the marines at Kwajalein Atoll. As they advanced, they noticed a young marine floating facedown in the water, obviously badly wounded. The shallow water around him was red with his blood. And then they noticed another marine moving toward his wounded comrade. The second marine was also wounded, with his left arm hanging helplessly by his side. He lifted up the head of the one who was floating in the water in order to keep him from drowning. In a panicky voice he called for help. The correspondents looked again at the boy he was supporting and called back, “Son, there is nothing anyone can do for this boy.”

“Then,” wrote the correspondent, “I saw something that I had never seen before.” This boy, badly wounded himself, made his way to the shore with the seemingly lifeless body of his fellow marine. He “put the head of his companion on his knee. … What a picture that was—these two mortally wounded boys—both … clean, wonderful-looking young men, even in their distressing situation. And the one boy bowed his head over the other and said, ‘I command you, in the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of the priesthood, to remain alive until I can get medical help.’” The correspondent concluded his article: “The three of us [the two marines and I] are here in the hospital. The doctors don’t know [how they made it alive], but I know.”

President Thomas S. Monson, “Willing and Worthy to Serve,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2012, 67, 68.

Questions to Ponder

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What blessings come to Latter-day Saints through the power of the priesthood?

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How are faith and the priesthood connected—for the priesthood holders and for the recipients of blessings?

Consider writing your thoughts in your journal or discussing them with others.

Some of the most important topics are addressed by more than one general conference speaker. Here is what four speakers said about families. Try looking for other parallels as you study conference talks.

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“Husbands and wives should understand that their first calling—from which they will never be released—is to one another and then to their children.”1—President Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

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“We need to do things in the right order! Marriage first and then family. Too many in the world have forgotten this natural order of things and think they can change it or even reverse it.”2—Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

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“We know that family scripture study and family home evenings are not always perfect. Regardless of the challenges you face, do not become discouraged.”3—Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

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“Teaching our children to understand is more than just imparting information. It’s helping our children get the doctrine into their hearts.”4—Cheryl A. Esplin, second counselor in the Primary general presidency